LW Ruslan Fedotenko: Just heard something is “close” on him. Again, if he doesn’t re-sign with Pens, don’t rule out a Petr Sykora return on a one-year deal with a no-movement clause. At least Sykora would be willing to take that term if the trade-off is control.

D Hal Gill: He has agreed to a two-year deal with Montreal, a $4.5 million total and $2.25 million annual cap hit. The Penguins were not offering that term or salary.

Gill teamed with D Rob Scuderi, also a free agent, to form the Penguins’ top shutdown pairing. His arrival at the NHL trade deadline in 2008 helped transform the Penguins’ penalty kill from a weakness to a strength each of the past two postseasons.

Quiet regarding Penguins, who remain optimistic of keeping LW Ruslan Fedotenko but are expecting D Rob Scuderi to be out of their price range. Minnesota and Scuderi makes sense, according to folks within the NHL.